Tredeau remembered for his dedication to Marian High School

Saturday

Feb 15, 2014 at 12:04 AM

By Brian BensonDaily News Staff

Whether coaching teams, advising students about college or teaching English, Louis Tredeau always kept the children he was helping at the forefront of his mind."He’d found his niche," said Gerard Herlihy, who hired Tredeau to teach English at Framingham’s Marian High School almost four decades ago. "He just had that affinity for working with young people."Tredeau, 61, who lived in Milford and worked at Marian High for 36 years, died Wednesday at Milford Regional Medical Center after a brief illness.Tredeau was a teacher, guidance counselor and director of guidance during his time at Marian.His sports resume included time coaching youth teams in Milford and Marian High School softball. He was also an umpire."He just had a special love for sports and baseball and softball and Marian High School," said his wife, Wendy Tredeau, fighting back tears.The couple were high school sweethearts at the former St. Mary’s Central Catholic High School in Milford.Joe Rushing, a Framingham resident and fellow coach and umpire, said Louis Tredeau was the umpire everyone wanted to officiate their games."He was very even-tempered when it came to the game" and let players know they should not hate the umpire or their opponents, Rushing recalled.He wanted kids to have a good time and enjoy the game, Rushing said.Wendy Tredeau recalled an article about her husband in Marian's newspaper in which Tredeau said he loved getting to know students and their aspirations for life."There are alumni that came back to visit him – doctors, lawyers, teachers," she said. "He was just a big part of Marian High School."Wendy Tredeau said her husband enjoyed watching students grow during their high school years."One thing I always loved about Lou was he genuinely cared about every one of his students," said David Erwin, Marian’s development director.Erwin recalled how Louis Tredeau would always share candy with other staff at lunch, an act that reflected his overall personality."He had that special gift," Marian foreign language teacher Sue Antonellis said. "He just loved the kids."Herlihy, who still leads Marian’s English department, said Tredeau continued to teach after he moved into the guidance department."He’s left a big gap to fill," Herlihy said. "There’s no question he won’t be easy to replace."Tredeau’s funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 19 Winter St., Milford. Visiting hours will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Edwards Memorial Funeral Home, 44 Congress St., Milford.Brian Benson can be reached at 508-626-3964 or bbenson@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @bbensonmwdn.